Lubricator



May 30, 1933- 1 R. w. STADLMAN 1,911,855

LUBRICATOR Filed Jan. 28, 1931 BY(a A TTORNEY.

Patented May 3G, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE LUBRIGATOR Y Application filed January 28, 1931. Serial No. 511,723.

rIhis invention is a lubricator particularly applicable to internal combustion engines for lubricating the valves and cylinder yvalls,-and has for its object to draw in the lubricant by the suction 'of the engine, With the lubricant supplied periodically in appreciable quantities suoli as Will insure the desired lubrication, and as opposed to the prior practice of continuous but extremely restricted supply Which has failed to provide such quantity of lubricant at any one time as Will effect the desired lubrication.

It is a further object of the invention to manually control the periodic supplying of the lubricant, and to insure only a determined appreciable discharge atV each operation of the manual control.

It is a still further object of the invention to varrange the lubricator as an extremely simple and compact device, Which'may be readily operatively assembled with relation to an internal combustion engine, Wit-liV the manual control readily accessible to the op* erator, and the mechanism including a reservoir for the lubricant and a valvular means adapted to discharge `a determined appreciable supply at each periodic, manually controlled, operation of the device, With the reservoir readily detachable for refilling Without disturbing the operative assembly of the valvular means. A

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from the Jfollowing description of the accompanying drawing in Which:

F ig. 1 is a side elevation of the lubricator in operative position and partly broken away in axial section. f

Fig. 2 is a section on the lineQ-Q of Fig. 1.

The device is illustrated as employed in connection with an internal combustion engine A, having fuel intake manifold 1 and which When mounted in an Vautomobile is preferably positioned in bacl of a usual instrument board 2.

The lubricator is adapted for mounting on the back of the instrument board with a manual control projecting through said board so that it is readily accessible to the driver, and

a conduit leads from the lubricator to theintale manifold of the engine so that the suction in said manifold draws in the lubricant for supplying the same to ythe valves and cylinder Walls of the engine.

As an instance of this arrangement the lubricator is shown as including a valve casing 8 which may be suspended from .a bracket 4 preferably mounted on the back of instrument board 2, and a reservoir 5 is detachably suspended from casing 3 With a supply conduit 6 leading from one end of the valve casing to the manifold 1, and a valve operating rod 7 projecting from the opposite end of the valve casing and through the instrument board 2.

The valve casing 3 has a depending cap 8 from which the reservoir 5 is detachably suspended, and a nippleV 9 depends from the valve casing inside the cap 8 and has an axial bore 10 communicating laterally With a'longtiudinal bore 11 which opens through the valve casing. A valve seat 12 in bore 11 isadapted for engagement by a needle valve 13 for shutmg-oii' bore lOto the conduit 6, andthe needle valve is normally yieldably seated by a spring 14, with the operating rod 7 connected to the needle valve for manually retracting the same so as to open bore 10 to the conduit 6. y

The reservoir 5 is of a size to hold an appreciable quantity of lubricant, and may be detachably suspended'from cap 8 by threading a restricted neck 16 ofthe reservoir into the cap, preferably With a locking clip 17fon the cap adapted to detachably engage an eX- ternal flange 18 at the baseofthreaded neck 16 for retaining the reservoir in assembled relation. A tube 19 depends from nipple 9 inside the reservoir for supplying lubricant to bore 10, and is adapted tov limit the discharge of lubricant to a determined amount each time the needle valve 13 is opened.

For this purpose the tube 19 has a capacity equal to the desired periodic discharge of lubricant, and a check valve at the foot of the tube permits the lubricant being drawn from the reservoir into the tube While preventing its return flow into the reservoir, and a valve 20 is freely slidable in the tube and is adapted to engage a valve seat 21 at the upper end 2/1 which also limits the downward movementV of valve 2O so that the latter cannot close the check valve.

In practice the reservoir 5 and the tube -19 may if desired be of transparent material as indicated in the drawing, in order that the operator may readily observe the operation of the device to insure himself that it is functioning properly; and for convenience of assembly the casing 3 may be provided with a pair of upwardly projecting studs for suspending the valve casing from bracket 4, and the bracket ispreferably provided with pairs of bores 26 and 26a disposed at right angles to one another, so that by inserting the studs 25 in one or the other of the Vpair of bores the lubricator is adapted for right angularA adj ust-ment as will conveniently position it for use in connection with any particular engine.

'In operation'the needle valve 13 is normally closed so that the lubricator is inoperative, at which time the valve 2() is at the bottom of tube 19, which however is filled with lubricant as a result of a prior operation of the device; and periodically the needle valve Yis opened by actuating the operating rod 7 so that the suction in manifold 1 is communicated to tube 19 for drawing lubricant past the open valve seat 21 and into conduit 6 for discharge into the manifold of the engine. At the same time the suction in tube 19 elevates valve 20 until it finally engages seat 21 for shutting-oill the supply of lubricant when an amount equal to the full capac-V ity of tube 19 has been discharged. As the valve 20 is drawn upwardly the check valve 23 opens responsive to the suction in tube 19 so as to maintain the tube illed to its capacity,

Vand when the suction is cut-od b v valve 2O engaging seat 21, the check valve closes against 4escape of the charge of lubricant contained Vin the tube. 1 subsequently manually closed for shuttinglVhen the needle valve 13 is olfV the suction, the valve 2O gravitates through the charge of lubricant contained in the tube 19 until it again rests upon crosspin 211, ready for the nez-zt succeeding' manually controlled periodic operation of the device.

-It will thus be seen that irrespective of the length of time during which needle valve l 13 is held open, only an amount of lubricant equal to the capacity of tube 19 can be discharged into manifold 1 without first reclosing the needle valve so that valve 2O may return to its normal inoperative position at the foot of tube 19; and it will be further noted that the improved construction limits the supply of lubricant to periodic discharges controlled by manual actuation of operating rod 7, with an appreciable quantity of the lubricant supplied to the engine at each of said periodic discharges, instead of the lubricant being continuously supplied in such small quantities that at no one time is there sufficient lubricant in the engine to produce eiicient results. lThe periodic discharge being manually controlled, its frequency may be varied at will so as to produce best results, it having been found that when employed in an automobile and with tube 19 of the maximum capacity which will just avoid choking the engine, the control 7 should be actuated approximately every fifty miles of travel.

It will further be noted that manually controlling the lubricator permits its operation being delayed until after the engine has been run a suflicient time to thoroughly warm it, thereby avoiding discharge of lubricant into the cylinders while the engine is cold and at which time eticient lubrication4 is impractical; and the .improved construction also provides for ready operative assembly of the parts, with the reservoir adapted for convenient removal for refilling without the necessity of tilting the same, and without in any way disturbing the valve casing 3 or the operating rod 7 or the conduit connection 6.

I claim:

1. In combination, an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold, normally closed valvular means communicating with the intake manifold, a reservoir communicating with the valvular means, means for manually opening the valvular means, and means for automatically closing the reservoir to thev valvular means after predetermined discharge from the reservoir.

2..A lubricator adapted for operation by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir communicating with the valvular means, means for manually'opening the valvular means, and means for automatically closing the reservoir to the valvular means after predetermined discharge from the reservoir.

'3. A lubricator adapted for operation by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir comlnunieating with the valvular means, and means for manually opening the'valvular means, the reservoir being of transparent material permitting observation of the functioning of the lubricator.

4. A lubricator adapted for operation by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir, a tube having an intake end open to the reservoir and a discharge end communicating with the valvular means, a valve seat in the discharge end of the tube, a valve normally positioned at the intake end of the tube and adapted for movement in the tube responsive to suction so as to engage the valve seat for closing the tube to the valvular means, and means for manually opening the valvular means.

5. A lubricator adapted for operation by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a dischargeV conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir, a vertical tube having an intake at its lower end open to the reservoir and a discharge at its upper end communicating with the valvular means, a valve seat in the discharge end of the tube, a valve normally gravitating to the lower' end of the tube but adapted for elevation in the tube responsive to suction so as to engage the valve seat for closing the tube to the valvular means, and means for manually opening the valvular means.

6. A lubricator adapted for operation by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for cre ation of suction therein, a reservoir, a tube having an intake end open to the reservoir and a discharge end communicating with the valvular means, a check valve preventing discharge from the intake end of the tube, a valve seat in the discharge end of the tube, a valve normally positioned at the intake end of the tube and adapted for movement in the tube responsive to suction so as to engage the valve seat for closing the tube tothe valvular means, and means for manually opening the valvular means.

7. A lubricator adapted for operation 'by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir detachably suspended from the valvular means, means for manually opening the valvular means, and a tube in the reservoir connecting the reservoir andthe valvular means and adapted to automatically close the reservoir to the valvular means after predetermined discharge from the reservoir.

8. A lubricator adapted for operation by suction, comprising normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicating with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir de- Y tachably suspended from the valvular means, means for manually opening the valvular means, a tube suspended in the reservoir and communicating at its lower end with the reservoir and at its upper end with the valvular means, a valve seat in the upper end of the tube, and a valve normally gravitatmg to the lower end of the tube but adapted for elevation in the tube responsive to suction so as to engage the valve seat for closing the tube to the valvular means.

9. In combination, a normally closed valvular means comprising a valve seat, a valve retained in operative assembly with relation to the valve seat and shiftable relative thereto for opening and closing the valvular means, the valve being normally shifted to closed position, a reservoir communicating with the valvular means, means for manually shifting the valve for opening the valvular means, and means for automatically closing the reservoir to the valvular means after predetermined discharge from the reservoir.

l0. In combination, a normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communieating with the valvular means and adaptedV for creation of suction therein, a reservoir, a tube having an intake end open to the reservoir and a discharge end communicating with the valvular means, a valve seat in the discharge end of the tube, a valve normally positioned at the intake end of the tube and adapted for movement in the tube responsive to suction so as to engage the valve seat for closing the tube to the valvular means, and means for manually opening the valvular means.

11. In combination, an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold, normally closed valvular means communicating with the intake manifold, a reservoir communicating with the valvular means, means for manually opening the valvular means for discharge from the reservoir into the intake manifold responsive to suction in said manifold, and means for automatically closing the valvular means upon release of the manual engagement.

12. In combination, a normally closed valvular means, a discharge conduit communicat-ing with the valvular means and adapted for creation of suction therein, a reservoir communicating with the valvular means, means for manually opening the valvular means, and means for automatically closing the reservoir to the valvular means after predetermined discharge from the reservoir.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

Y RGGER W. STADLMAN. 

